1. Kyle Daniel Rudolph was born on November 9,1989 and is an American former professional football tight end in the National Football League for 12 seasons, primarily with the Minnesota Vikings.
48 Facts About Kyle Rudolph
1. 2.
Kyle Rudolph played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and was selected by the Vikings in the second round of the 2011 NFL draft.
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Kyle Rudolph played for the New York Giants and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
4.
Kyle Rudolph received first-team All-Southwest Ohio as a senior after being named second-team as a junior and was named second-team All-state by the Associated Press.
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Also an accomplished basketball player, Kyle Rudolph played center for his high school team and was the conference player of the year three times and All-Southwest Ohio in 2007.
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Kyle Rudolph is currently the second-leading scorer in school history and became just the second Panther to surpass 1,000 career points.
7.
Kyle Rudolph set the school record for most career rebounds when he corralled his 568th rebound on January 11,2008.
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Kyle Rudolph was rated as the best tight end and 20th best overall recruit in the class of 2008 according to Rivals.
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Kyle Rudolph was named the second-best player and the top tight end in the Detroit Free Press' Best of the Midwest Top 20 list.
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Kyle Rudolph was considered the No 1 tight end in the recruiting class and the 20th-best prospect in the nation by Tom Lemming.
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Kyle Rudolph was ranked 21st in the country and No 2 in the state of Ohio by Scout.
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Kyle Rudolph was considered the 23rd-best player by Sports Illustrated.
13.
Kyle Rudolph accepted a scholarship offer from Notre Dame over Michigan, Tennessee, and Ohio State.
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Kyle Rudolph made his career debut in the season opener against San Diego State and brought in his first career reception for five yards during the victory.
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Kyle Rudolph hauled in two catches for 26 yards against Pittsburgh, setting a new school record for receptions by a freshman tight end in a single season during the game.
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Kyle Rudolph was named semi-finalist for the John Mackey Award and was the only sophomore to be named semi-finalist.
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Kyle Rudolph hauled in four catches for 29 yards and a touchdown in the opener against Nevada.
18.
Kyle Rudolph nabbed touchdown catches in back-to-back weeks against Purdue and Washington, with the first coming against the Boilermakers when there were only 24 seconds remaining in the game on a fourth-and-goal situation that sealed Notre Dame's win; the second touchdown reception against Washington came with less than two minutes remaining in regulation and gave the Irish the lead.
19.
Kyle Rudolph was voted by his teammates to represent tight ends on the Irish Leadership Committee.
20.
Kyle Rudolph ended the season ranked third on the team with 33 receptions for 364 yards and three touchdowns.
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Kyle Rudolph had his promising 2010 junior season derailed by a hamstring injury that ended his season after six games.
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Kyle Rudolph finished his final collegiate season with 28 receptions for 328 yards and three touchdowns, ending his three-season career at Notre Dame ranked among the all-time leading tight ends in school history.
23.
On January 4,2011, Kyle Rudolph decided to forgo his senior season and declared for the 2011 NFL draft.
24.
Kyle Rudolph did not participate in the 2011 NFL combine because of his torn hamstring, but posted a 4.78 40-yard dash time only three weeks after being medically cleared to participate at Notre Dame's Pro Day in South Bend, Indiana.
25.
Kyle Rudolph was selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the 43rd overall pick in the second round of the 2011 NFL draft.
26.
Kyle Rudolph was the first tight end selected in the draft and is the second-highest drafted tight end in Vikings history behind Hal Bedsole in the 1964 NFL draft.
27.
In 2012, Kyle Rudolph had, in many ways, a breakout year.
28.
Kyle Rudolph was targeted 93 times and had 53 receptions averaging 9.3 yards per reception.
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Kyle Rudolph finished the year with 493 receiving yards and a career-high nine touchdowns, the second-most by a Vikings tight end in a season in team history.
30.
Kyle Rudolph's nine touchdown catches, which is a career-high, were tied for second-most by a tight end in the NFL in 2012.
31.
Kyle Rudolph was selected for his first Pro Bowl in his career at the conclusion of the season as a replacement for Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez.
32.
Kyle Rudolph had his promising season cut short by injury after hauling in 30 catches for 313 yards and three touchdowns in the opening eight games of the season.
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Kyle Rudolph caught his first touchdown of the season on a 20-yarder from Christian Ponder in the Vikings' loss at Chicago in week 2.
34.
In 2015, Kyle Rudolph started all 16 games for the second time in his career.
35.
Kyle Rudolph posted a career-high 495 yards receiving and had the second-best totals of his career in receptions with 49 and five touchdowns.
36.
In Week 13 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Kyle Rudolph hauled in his sixth touchdown of the season and 28th of his career, placing him in a tie with Vikings legend Steve Jordan for the most by a tight end in franchise history.
37.
In Week 17 against the Chicago Bears, Kyle Rudolph saw 15 passes thrown his way, hauling in 11 for 117 yards to set the franchise record for most receptions in a season for a tight end with 83.
38.
In 2017, Kyle Rudolph started all 16 games, recording 57 catches for 532 yards and eight touchdowns.
39.
In Week 1 of the 2018 season, Kyle Rudolph scored a touchdown, his first with new quarterback Kirk Cousins, in the victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
40.
In Week 10 against the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football, after Kyle Rudolph recorded his first catch he fumbled the football while being tackled by linebacker Danny Trevathan and the ball was recovered by safety Tashaun Gipson.
41.
On December 29,2020, Kyle Rudolph was placed on injured reserve.
42.
Kyle Rudolph finished the 2020 season with 28 receptions for 334 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.
43.
On March 2,2021, Kyle Rudolph was released by the Vikings.
44.
Kyle Rudolph signed with the New York Giants on March 24,2021.
45.
Kyle Rudolph finished the 2021 season with 26 receptions for 257 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.
46.
On July 20,2022, Kyle Rudolph signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a one-year deal.
47.
On September 4,2023, Kyle Rudolph announced his retirement from professional football.
48.
Kyle Rudolph began working as a Big Ten analyst for Peacock, and co-hosts a Sunday night show on Fox Sports Radio starting in the fall of 2023.